Cap'n's bLog

  Craters 1200k Is a bicycle a small craft? This was the question I was pondering lying in bed the night before the Craters 1200k. After a very dry summer and beautiful September, the weather in the Pacific Northwest was about to turn. It turned directly into the path of the inaugural Craters 1200k. The Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) have run a 1000k version of Crater Lake seven times, always with rave enthusiastic reviews. Seven SIR members pre-rode the course one week prior to the event. That pre-ride produced the most detailed ride report I’ve ever seen, courtesy of Mitch Ishihara. If you didn’t know what to expect, you didn’t read Mitch’s ride report. There was one variable however, the weather. The pre-ride dry weather and tailwinds had been replaced by heavy rain, thunderstorms and headwinds for much of the first two days. Many of you are familiar with the pay for service app Epic Ride Weather. The app produces a detailed weather report along the intended course base...

Climate change has the world’s glaciers receding and the battle between fire and ice was on full display during the 2024 edition of the Seattle International Randonneurs’ (SIR) Glacier 1300k.  The event was dominated by a heatwave gripping the Pacific Northwest. On the morning of the ride start, I received a notification from the NYT bearing an unwelcome title, Pacific Northwest Braces for a Blistering Heat Wave Over the Weekend.  Yikes, now what was that refund policy... The ride title is taken from the finish destination, Whitefish Montana which serves as the gateway to Glacier National Park. It also serves as a reminder of how much ice would be required to prevent riders from spontaneous combustion, a glacier’s worth.  Four of the five days saw temperatures over 100 degrees.  Ice socks were de rigueur.  Insulated bottles, mandatory.  Every bit of exposed skin required a covering.  When the garmin reads 122 degrees, you are in survival mode. I first ...